Her Last Day
by JamesMFan
Summary: What would Buffy do if she thought it was her last day on Earth? Set during Chosen, and ties into it all. I hope. :)SPUFFY.
1. Her Last Day

**A/N: When I saw Angel's "Not Fade Away" with everyone spending their last day doing what they want I decided to apply it to Buffy. What would she do on what might be her last day? Set during "Chosen".**

_Her Last Day_

3pm

Buffy was glad that the pep talk to the Potentials had gone well. For the first time they seemed to be understanding her and her motives. For this she was grateful. For the coming apocalypse tomorrow she was not so grateful. This time tomorrow she would be descending into the Hellmouth and battling an army of super strong Turok-han's and Buffy didn't mind admitting that was not her idea of fun.

She came to realise that she had one day left before she might die.

One day.

Buffy Summers had always wanted to do things in her life that she might now never get to do. And while most might spend their last day on Earth bungee jumping or swimming with sharks, Buffy had other ideas. Those types of things had never been important to her because being the Slayer meant she got enough of a buzz from her occupation. No, if Buffy could choose between an action-packed life or one of quiet and peace in the country she would choose the latter. Having said that she knew she would always crave the action, the fight, the hunt, the kill. But it no longer defined her.

So, Buffy sat down in her bedroom and made a mental list of all the things she thought she could feasibly accomplish in the next twenty four hours. She tried to be realistic knowing that she couldn't right all of the wrongs she had been a part of, or mend all the broken ties to people she had once loved as her life moved on.

Here she was at twenty-two years of age and she was making a list of things to do in the twenty four hours before she died. It was a morbid thought.

It was the life of a Slayer. Soon all of the bickering, squealing, allergy-ridden girls downstairs would know that burden too. Buffy didn't know whether she was saving them or damning them. Either way it was what was needed to win their war.

"_The mission is what matters"_

Buffy looked up. There was no one in the room, just a distant echo of a memory in her mind. More began to follow.

"_The mouth of hell is going to swallow us whole…and it'll choke on us"_

She closed her eyes.

"_I mean, I know every Slayer comes with an expiration mark on the package, but I want mine to be a long time from now. Like a Cheeto"_

Buffy wished she still had that enthusiasm, that drive, that certain naivety that she was good enough, strong enough, fast enough to put off the inevitable. A Slayer's life was short and rarely sweet.

"_I'm sixteen, Giles! I don't want to die" _

Sure, she had made it further than most Slayers but eventually she knew that something would come that she could not beat and that would be the end for her. That might very well happen tomorrow.

So, she had things to do before then.

4pm

The graveyards were beautiful in the daylight, the trees swayed in the barmy wind and everything seemed so much less morbid, so much less…well, dead. Buffy rarely visited these places in the day, her usually cemetery routine was go out, patrol, kill vamps and go home. She hadn't given much thought to mourning those she had lost by a visit to their graves. She had stopped by now and then to say hi but not frequently. Buffy guessed she should feel bad about this but she had always figured the people she had loved would appreciate her living her life and trying to find happiness more. Today though, she had to say her goodbyes and maybe even "see you soon" however, she tried not to think too much about the implications of that.

With a bunch of bluebells in her hand and with a purpose in her stride Buffy Summers reached the grave of her mother.

She looked at the simple polished grey stone of the tombstone and sighed.

_Joyce Summers_

_1957-2001_

_Beloved Mother_

_Pure of Heart_

It didn't cover the sheer magnitude of what she had meant to Buffy and to Dawn but it still had a sweet sentiment and she was sure her mother would have been okay with the wording choice. Not that it mattered in the scheme of things. It wasn't like her mother was here. Graves were for the living, not the dead. They were a consolation, an emotional outlet. One Buffy had come to utilise today.

"Hey mom," She smiled and knelt down beside the grave "I brought you these. I remember they're your favourite. I still remember you telling me about how that guy you had a crush on in fifth grade gave you some bluebells and since then they've been…they've been your favourites"

The tombstone remained as it was. Not that she was surprised. She didn't expect it to suddenly start speaking. God that sounded terrible. Joking to herself at her mother's graveside. Buffy closed her eyes and frowned. Why was it so hard just to talk her to mom?

She didn't have an answer.

Instead she placed the flowers across the grave and took a deep breath "So, hey, big apocalypse coming tomorrow. I know, I know; again? But this one's really bad. I…I guess you know all this. I mean, you're meant to be looking down on us, right? Right. So…but…I mean apart from the whole end-of-the-world thing I think everybody is okay. I mean, Xander is not so okay because of his eye but he's dealing I think. I hope. Dawn is good though. She misses you. So do I. But she's doing okay, and I've been training her to help get her some self-defence. Nothing too dangerous but essential"

Buffy Summers looked down at her hands in her lap and kept her eyes fixated on her fingers, the way they were weaved together like a basket.

"I'm doin' okay too. The Slayer stuff is hard but I'm getting through it. This year…it's been easier. I've got a lot of people supporting me, people who were always there but I guess I just lost sight of. Giles, Willow, Xander, Spike…we're all a lot closer this year. Okay, so there was that one incident when they threw me out of the house…well, not Spike because he was with Andrew…oh and Andrew is…Sorry, I'm getting off track"

Buffy reached over and picked the flowers up and then put them down again in a fractionally different way. Anything to keep her body busy.

"The point is that I'm okay. I love you and I miss you but I'm okay. If something goes wrong tomorrow I won't be afraid because I know I'll see you and everyone else I love. So, I just want to tell you not to worry about me but if you could put a good word in for me and maybe send down some thunderbolts tomorrow, I'd appreciate it. Thanks mom"

Buffy nodded mostly to herself and then she stood slowly and looked down at the place her mother's body rested.

"Goodbye"

4.30pm

Her next step after visiting her mother and Jenny and Tara was to deal with the living. Or maybe the missing. She picked up the phone and went to her bedroom, shut the door and tried to get some semblance of privacy.

It took her numerous phone numbers and transfers and being disconnected a few times but she eventually managed to track down her father after just over an hour. Buffy was surprised she had made it this far at all. For many years she had not seen her father, he hadn't even been reachable when her mother had died.

Hank Summers Dad of The Year.

Now though she sat on her bed cross-legged and waited for the call to be connected to a man she barely thought she knew anymore.

There was a loud click and then a voice.

"This is Hank Summers –"

"Dad" Buffy started.

"…_I'm not in right now, or I am in a meeting. Please leave your name and number and I will get back to you"_

There was a beep.

Of course. Of course it would be the machine. Buffy took a deep breath and hung up the phone. She shouldn't have expected anything more from the man who had once been her father.

Back to the people who actually cared about her then.

4.45pm

Giles sat at the dining table making plans and eating a scone, drinking a cup of tea. He couldn't have looked more stereotypically British at that moment and Buffy found her mood brightening just seeing him like this.

Hank Summers hadn't been her father for a long time. That role had been filled by Giles in every capacity but biologically. In the end what did biology have to do with who you love and who you care for? Very little, in fact.

Sometimes Buffy wondered what her life would have been like if her parents had stayed together. Would it have been happier or miserable? She would never know and right now that wasn't important because as far as she was concerned her family were all with her. Everyone was here, even her mother in a way. Xander, Willow, Dawn, Giles. They were her true family. People say you can't choose your family but that isn't necessarily true. You're born into _a_ family but you can always get yourself another.

A surrogate family.

They had their fights, their disagreements and their moments of downright hurtfulness towards one another but in the end together they would stand, divided they would fall.

Buffy was grateful that she had people like them in her life. More grateful then they would ever realise.

"Oh, Buffy" Giles looked up startled, his glasses a little skew-whiff where he had been leaning the base of his hand against the frames "I didn't hear you. A perk of Slayer stealth, I hope"

"Why?"

"Well, it's either that or I'm losing my hearing" He smiled softly.

"Ah" Buffy nodded, smiled back "Rest assured. I was using all my Slayer sneakiness to surprise you"

He bowed his head "I thought so. So, is something troubling you?"

"Nope. Just wanted to spend a little time with my Giles"

He smiled again, wider this time and it was good to see. A little while ago things had been quite tense between Giles and her when the subject of a certain vampire would come up. Now though time was too short to hold grudges and things had been appeased. Buffy reached across the table and took his hand, it was warm and large and comforting.

Giles squeezed her hand back, his own eclipsing hers.

"You'll do fine tomorrow. You'll do better than fine" Giles assured her.

Buffy looked down at the table then back up at him "I hope so. Those girls are counting on me"

"You won't steer them wrong"

Buffy wanted to ask _but what if I do?_ But she didn't. That sort of questioning was pointless at this time. This was inevitable. It was what she had to do. Time to except her life and all of its bad points but also all of its good points.

"I'm just relieved you'll be in this with me" She replied after a few moments "You and everyone"

"One hundred percent" He confirmed.

At that moment Xander and Willow walked in chatting animatedly about the possibility of Xander getting a part in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. Buffy valued these moments. The breaks away from the trauma, the mission, the apocalypses. The moments when they were just normal. Or as normal as any of them could be.

Xander had come back from losing his eye so well and Buffy was so proud of him but every time she looked at him her heart would break a little. Out of all of them Xander was the one who had done the least to ever deserve something like this happening to him.

Willow was also showing great strength in controlling her magick and Buffy knew that what she was asking of the witch tomorrow was going to be a strain on her. She stood by her convictions though, Willow was the strongest person she knew and Buffy was certain that she could handle it.

They stopped in front of the dining table still both grinning.

"Buff, what do you think? Me, the replacement for Johnny Depp?" Xander swept his arms out with a flourish and poses with a pout.

Buffy laughed "Yeah, Xand. And Andrew can be the next Orlando Bloom"

"Well, damn" Willow grouched "I wanted to be Keira Knightley. But that's changed my mind"

Giles cleared his throats "And where exactly does this all leave me?"

"You can be one of the decayed skeleton guys"

"Well, thank goodness for that" He sighed and shook his head "Honestly, I'm a Watcher! I'm powerful. I'm commanding. I'm…"

"Delusional?" Buffy asked with a grin.

"Oh, fine" He muttered and looked back at his papers.

Xander walked over to him and ruffled his hair "Good boy"

"Do you mind?" He eyed the boy with disdain.

Xander just beamed back.

Willow slid into the chair at the other end of the table and looked over at Giles and Buffy "So, what'cha is doing?"

"Having quality bonding time" Buffy replied.

"Ah, the whole aah-we-may-die-a-fiery-death-tomorrow crisis" Xander rubbed his hands together and sat down in a vacant seat "Who is else is awaiting that with much anticipation?"

The Slayer shook her head "I'm trying not to think too much about it. I just want to make things right with people in case…in case the worst happens"

"Yeah, I guess we should all try that" Xander nodded "I should probably find Anya"

"We all have people we should make amends with" Giles said slowly "I for one probably have more than most accumulated over my long, long, long life. As you all keep pointing out I am old and/or decaying"

"Aww, Giles –" Willow started in an apologetic tone.

"The point is" Giles put his hand up "We can never fix all of the bridges we have burned"

Buffy nodded in agreement "But we can try to fix some of them"

"Or at least put some support beams up and make sure they don't fall into the rivers" Xander added then looked at their faces "Builder talk. Just disregard it"

"Planning to" Buffy smiled.

Willow "I think I should just tell you guys that I love you and that whatever bad things we've been through in the past…they don't define us. We're strong together and you're all my best friends"

There was a moment of silence and then they all stood and leaned across the table into a group hug for a long few moments.

"Feelings mutual, guys" Buffy gave them one last squeeze and then they disbanded.

Xander gave them a soppy grin "That brought a tear to my eye socket"

"Thanks, all of you" Buffy said as she started to leave "For everything"

5.45pm

Buffy opened the front door to her house figured she could watch what might be her last sunset. Someone had beaten her to it though. Sitting on the front porch and smoking a cigarette was Faith. Her back was turned to her, her long wavy brunette hair shining in the last rays of the sun. The other Slayer turned to face Buffy.

"B," She took one last drag of the cigarette then threw it on the ground and stomped it out "I'll get out of your way"

"No, Faith, stay" Buffy shut the door behind her and walked over, sitting down on the porch by the side of her "We should talk"

"'Bout what?"

"Us"

"Woah, B," Faith put her hands up "I like you…well, sometimes, but I'm definitely a many-men-girl. Maybe, Will –"

"No" Buffy shook her head "I mean, about our past. All the…stupid things we've done to one another. We could have been like…"

"Sisters?" Faith arched an eyebrow.

"Sounds impossible, I know" She shook her hair out of her face and looked towards the sun "But it really wasn't. We could have been close. I mean, we were the Chosen Two. The whole thing about the Slayer is that she's alone. Well, with us that wasn't true. We should have valued that"

Faith looked down at the floor and shrugged, she kicked the toe of her boot absently into the pavement and Buffy watched her for a moment then turned back to the sunset. The hue of colours were beautiful. Yellow, orange, red, dusky pink, light blue. It would be dark soon but for these few minutes the sky was a canvas of colour. You only notice these things once in a while. Mostly you just let it past you by. It was kind of contrived to be sitting here on what might be her last day, watching the sun go down. Symbolic, much?

Buffy didn't care. It was beautiful.

"You're right" Faith spoke suddenly "We should have been close. But we weren't. We were a lot different. You were always so strait-laced and I was…"

"A big ho-bag?" Buffy offered.

Faith laughed "Sure. I tried to change you. It was stupid. But then I dropped out of high school, so what can you expect? And, hey, you tried to gut me"

"You sided with the enemy, kidnapped my best friend, tried to kill my boyfriend, stole my body, slept with my other boyfriend…should I go on?" Buffy asked.

"I get you" Faith nodded "Oh and you left out, got you thrown out of your own house by all your friends. I'm pretty sure you blame me for that"

"No," She shook her head "I blame you all"

Faith arched an eyebrow.

"And I blame myself" Buffy admitted "For pushing everyone away and for being so hard on you all but I had to –"

"Win the battle. I know. We all know" Faith looked at Buffy in the eyes "It just took us a little while"

"And nearly being blown up"

"That too"

Buffy smiled a little "I'm not sure I can forgive you for some of the things you did, and I'm thinking you weren't too ecstatic about the coma thing but, I want to just lay down the gauntlet. From now on we need to support each other and the girls. We need to be a team, especially for tomorrow"

"Agreed" Faith nodded "We'll be like Butch and Sundance"

"Who?"

"Don't know. Just thought it sounded good"

Buffy snickered a little and then Faith joined in and they ended in a hearty girly laugh. It was all rather surreal. As far as Buffy knew they had never really laughed together, or joked, or done anything remotely like it. At least not for a long time.

"So, are you making the rounds?" Faith asked "Talking to everyone, in case we all get whacked tomorrow?"

"Something like that" Buffy replied "Just with less of the "whacked" thinking"

"Who's left on the list?"

The blonde Slayer smiled and looked towards the horizon just in time to see the sun go down "That would be telling"

**A/N: All reviews gratefully accepted**


	2. Feminine Charms

**A/N: Chapter two - **

6.15pm

Buffy had remained outside on the porch even after Faith had gone back inside. She stood leaning against the pillar that supported the house, looking up into the dark sky. A rare peaceful moment, she watched the trees sway and the stars shine up in the sky and realised that even in the face of damnation the Earth remained still, peaceful, unworried. As if it had faith in their abilities to protect it. Buffy only hoped that was the truth.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there but she knew that soon she would go inside and carry on with her fix-it mission.

"Buffy"

She turned. It was Dawn. Her sister. Her family.

"Dawn," Buffy said "It's cold; you should put a jacket on"

"Like you, you mean?" She indicated the lack of said item of clothing.

The Slayer turned away and smiled, leaning back against the pillar of the house, she hugged herself and ran her hands down her arms. Now that she thought about it did feel a little chilly. Dawn walked up and stood beside her looking out into space much as Buffy was doing. They had grown a lot closer this year once Buffy realised coddling Dawn would not be good for her.

Her sister glanced at her from the corner of her eye "Heard you've been doing the rounds. Saying little speeches to everyone. So, I figured I would wait patiently till it was my turn. But, hey, I'm sixteen and patient isn't in my vocabulary"

"Dawn" Buffy smiled "I was saving the best till last"

She looked touched "Aww, that's so sweet…but screw that! I want my emotional moment now!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to face her little sister. Sure, Dawn was taller than her and was definitely becoming more "woman-sized" as Faith would put it but to Buffy she was still a baby. Well, maybe not a baby but she was still too young to have seen the things she had seen and experienced the things she had experienced. Buffy had been even younger when she was called as a Slayer so she knew the detrimental effects growing up too soon could have on a kid.

Dawn had become strong because of it and that wasn't a bad thing but Buffy just hoped she didn't end up like her – someone who found it hard to give out love to those who had earned it.

"Look, we both know tomorrow is gonna be…" The Slayer trailed off.

"The apocalypse?" Dawn finished for her "We're gonna beat it"

"But if we don't you know I love you, right?"

"Right"

"You know I'd die for you?"

"Seen it with my own two eyes"

"Then you know that I will do anything to protect you"

"Yep"

"Okay" Buffy nodded "Glad we cleared that up"

Dawn frowned "That's it?"

"Yeah….wait one more thing" Buffy stepped into her, put her hands on the girl's shoulders "Don't get killed"

"Will do" She saluted.

"Good, now get inside and keep everyone's spirits up"

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna stay here for a few more minutes then I have one more person to see"

"Who – oh. Never mind"

Dawn kissed her sister on the cheek and then went inside as she had been asked to. Buffy let out a deep breath.

7pm 

Buffy stood outside of the basement door listening to the Potentials talking excitedly and fearfully in the living room. The Scooby's were playing Dungeons and Dragons and had asked her to join but she had politely refused, informing them she had something she needed to do. They all seemed to understand implicitly what that was.

So, here she stood facing a door and taking a moment to regain some composure and sort through in her head what she was going to do. It was no use; she was just going to have to use instinct. It was time to face the inevitable.

Buffy turned the door handle and then pulled it open. She slowly descended down the steps closing the door shut quietly behind her. She looked into the basement as she was walking down and saw him there sitting on hit cot with the amulet dangling in his hand. He was looking at it very intently and Buffy would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that precise moment.

As she reached the floor Spike looked up, saw her, and stood quickly, putting the amulet down by his side.

They stood facing each other with the vast spanning basement floor in between them.

_This would be an infuriatingly good place to fade to black _Buffy couldn't help thinking _Well, if this was TV or the movies, anyway. _

But real life never faded to black and you had to live the next moment and the one after that to get to the good heart-stopping, pulse pounding moments that defined the very art of being alive. Buffy figured that if it could all fade to black right now it would be a lot easier but far less invigorating.

"Buffy," Spike said after a minute of silence.

She looked at him, without distraction "Spike"

Again they waited in enraptured silence for one or the other to say something profound or do something meaningful. Buffy knew that sometimes the anticipation of an act could be more electric than the act itself. It was all in the waiting. Patience was a virtue. Good things come to those who wait.

Buffy found herself strolling across the basement towards him and he looked rather shocked. He was not sure what she was going to do but the purpose in her eyes was enough to keep him standing there as still as a statue in relative awe of the figure striding towards him.

It was not often that Buffy felt special, it was even less often that she felt she was deserving of such attention and unbridled emotion directed towards her from within those blue eyes. So as she stepped into his body she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her face against his chest. For a moment Spike seemed rooted to the spot. His cool body was unmoving.

Buffy began to think he might push her away, or worse, not respond at all.

Then his arms closed around her and she let out a sigh.

"It's so hard" Buffy murmured after a while.

"Oh, sorry about that" He cleared his throat and attempted to step back.

Buffy looked up at him and frowned, then she looked down and her eyes widened "Uh, no. Not that. Although…"

She felt her face turning bright red and Spike smiled softly, a little embarrassed, pulled back from her a step and sat down on the edge of the cot. He patted a space beside him cautiously as if he thought she might get the wrong idea. Whatever the wrong idea was.

Buffy smiled graciously and sat down next to him, their thighs touching "What I meant was this constant battle is so hard. With The First, with the Potentials, with myself…" She sighed, bowed her upper body so that her forehead was almost touching her knees.

She placed her hands on top of her head and closed her eyes. A moment later Spike's hand rested softly on her back.

"_What do you want now?"_

"_What's the matter? Is…Is there anything I can do?"_

Buffy was remembering another time, a few years ago. Buffy realised it had become a bad habit of Spike comforting her like this. Then she corrected herself. How could comfort ever really be bad? Solace was a universally needed thing. To deny any being solace would be to deny them any comfort from their pain and that was inhumane.

Okay, getting a little too deep Buffy realised. Her part to play, after all, was the blonde Californian girl who could kick ass and quip. _Sweet girl, not so bright_.

"You're doing a good job, Buffy" Spike said, his voice raspy "And I think you've done a grand job of teaching those girls"

"With your help" She turned her face to look at him.

The vampire shrugged "I was just your practice dummy"

"Not true" Buffy sat up straight, keeping eye contact "You were there to give them a vampire's perspective and…well, I don't know if I'd have held it together without you there"

Spike waved a dismissive hand "You didn't need me"

"I wanted you"

Spike looked at her and Buffy's eyebrows shot up, a comical look plastered itself on her face and a flush was creeping up her neck.

"Uh, what I mean is…" The Slayer's face was an atrophied mask of embarrassment.

Spike burst out laughing.

Buffy frowned, looking at him. He just continued to shake uncontrollably; his face creased up with laughter lines and…yeah…there was a tear trailing out of the corner of his eyes. Spike's laughter was infectious and soon she was carried away by it too. It reminded her of Giles and herself last year, except this time it was Spike and he was a different matter altogether.

Buffy quieted first "Have we ever done this?"

"What?" Spike asked, wiping his eyes, still smiling.

"Just laughed," She said quietly, looking at him "Just smiled, without…without the tension, or the emotion, or the sniping? Have we ever just laughed together?"

Spike turned serious again "I doubt it, love"

"So, I guess that means we're really friends now" Buffy said slowly, as if mulling it over "Friends with a sordid past but…friends?"

He leaned forward, nodded slightly "I can handle that. In fact, it's more than I deserve"

"No, it's really not" Buffy smiled, reached a hand towards him but it halted in mid-air.

Spike looked at her hand, hovering near his arm and his eyes were fixated on it. Buffy let it drop and she saw his face fall but only for a second before he regained his calm and concentrated face – the one he had worn for most of this year, when he wasn't, well, crazy or being controlled. The Slayer wanted to get rid of that mask and see the real Spike again. She wanted the good points in both the old Spike and the new one. This was most likely impossible, she knew.

Buffy stood and turned to look down at him "This…might be our last night on Earth"

"Could be" He nodded.

"That's all you've got to say about it?"

"Not much of a word man, myself" He shrugged "Not so good at the grand proclamations"

She smiled "You sell yourself short"

Spike smiled back, genuinely complimented, then he slapped his hands together "I'm thinking you have a plan of action? Something to kill some time"

"Maybe," Buffy said coyly, "I mean, I have some things I've always wanted to do but you might not want to be roped into them"

He stood "Hmm, let's see – a night with the Slayer or sit her in a dingy basement waiting for the inevitable death to come. Tough choice"

"Hey! My basement is not dingy" She protested.

He arched an eyebrow.

She shrugged "Okay, maybe a little. So, you up for getting outta this place?"

"Thought you'd never ask"

8PM

Buffy took a deep breath and braced herself. This was one of the hardest challenges she had ever faced in her life but she was ready. She had to be. There was no going back.

"Does he love me I want to know? /How can I tell if he loves me so?" Buffy belted out the song into the microphone.

The crowd at the Karaoke bar went wild, cheering and clapping as they were serenaded with one of their favourite songs. These guys had braved the apocalypse for more Karaoke, go figure. Buffy began to smile, she could really enjoy this. Buffy nudged her partner with her elbow.  
"Is it in his eyes?" Spike sang, rolling _his_ eyes as he gripped the microphone and tried to look put out instead of totally mortified.

"Oh no, you'll be deceived" Buffy replied back, turning to face the vampire as she sang, a grin on her face.

"Is it in his eyes?" He still looked grumpy and he sung with a dull voice.

"Oh no he'll make believe /If you wanna know if he love you so, it's in his kiss" Buffy was in a full blown smile-fest now and she grabbed Spike's hand and began to swing it around.

"That's where it is" Spike sang, a smile starting at the corner of his lips. "Is it in his face?"  
"Oh no, that's just his charm" Buffy laughed, swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music and pulling Spike along the stage with her, holding his hand tightly.

"In his warm embrace?" Spike chuckled into the microphone.  
"Oh no, that's just his arms/If you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss"

Buffy pulled him in close and then rested her hand on his chest. She ran her hand down his chest and the audience, which was mostly made up of camp men, began to cheer.  
"Oh, Oh, Oh, hug him/Squeeze him tight/To find out what you want to know/If it's love, if it really is, it's there in his kiss" Buffy sang and Spike put his hand on her waist, pulled her into a very dramatic embrace.

The crowd went wild again.  
"How 'bout the way he acts?" Spike sang, leaning in closer to her face.  
"Oh no, that's not the way/You're not listenin' to all I say /If you wanna know if he loves you so it's in his kiss" Buffy rested her forehead against his.

"That's where it is"  
"Oh, Oh, it's in his kiss"  
"That's where it is"

"Oh, it's in his kiss"

"That's where it is"

Spike and Buffy smiled at one another, looking each other in the eyes.  
"Ooh, it's in his kiss/Ooh, it's in his kiss/Oh, it's in the kiss" Buffy sang the song to a close.

There was silence in the bar for a minute. Then it erupted with cheers and whistles and calls for an encore. The Slayer took Spike's hand again, turned herself and him to the crowd below and bowed, pulling Spike with her.

They kept getting calls for more encore's but Spike was having none of that was pulling her off the stage as she blew kisses to her adoring fans. They made their way to the actual bar area and Spike slid into the bar stood and ordered two beers.

"I don't know how I got duped into doing that" He pointed at the stage.

Buffy grinned, still flushed from the performance, as she slid onto a stool next to him "I used my feminine charms. You enjoyed it really" She nudged him with her elbow in the ribs.

Spike made a non-committal noise and then when the beer was delivered to him he sunk a long gulp down in one moment "It's bloody hard work that"

"Mmm hmm" Buffy sipped her beer, arched an eyebrow "Maybe you just don't have the stamina anymore"

The vampire smirked "Want to test that?"

She smiled slowly, sipped some more beer "Not such a good idea"

"Sometimes it's right to be wrong" He remarked, looking away over at the stage where some guy was slaughtering _Power of Love _ "And sometimes it's just plain wrong. That git is giving me a headache"

"Not everyone can have such smooth vocal chords as you, Spikey" Buffy teased.

"Damn right" He nodded "So, that was your life's ambition? To sing in front of a bunch of...extremely drunk blokes? You need to get you a life, Summers"

"Oh, there's more where that came from" Buffy grinned, a light in her eyes.

**A/N: More Spuffy to follow. **


	3. Mr Metrosexual

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and I'm glad I made some of you laugh, it's my job. Or I wish it was. Cos then I'd get paid….grumble grumble….**

9.30PM

"No, no, no" Spike grunted "You've got to be in charge. Keep on top. Ride it"

Buffy rolled her eyes "It's hard"

"It's supposed to be" He grabbed her hips "But you'll get it. Just like riding a bike"

"It _is_ a bike" She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Well, yeah…" Spike nodded "Look, just pay attention. I'd rather not have my head caved in"

Buffy rolled her eyes again and turned back to face front. They were on a deserted stretch of highway on a motorbike that someone had forgotten to take with them when they fled from the Hellmouth. Spike had hotwired it and now he was attempting to teach her how to drive it. Buffy had barely mastered the car. This was gonna be interesting.

Buffy felt Spike jostle her hips again and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as he rambled on about proper road safety. She should have been listening but why bother when the stars looked so beautiful?

"It's all about balance" Spike's lips were suddenly by her ear "Just like work and play" he laughed.

Buffy looked down as his arms came around her front and took her hands. He placed them on the handles of the bike and kept his hands over hers.

"Start it up" He said softly.

Buffy felt her spine straighten at the tone of his voice, and the sheer nearness of it. That and the face that his chest was pressed against her back and his arms around her. Buffy put her foot down on the peddle and jump started it first time. Slayer strength had many advantages.

"Good" Spike shouted over the engine "Now, carefully –"

Buffy slammed her foot down on the accelerator and they shot off from nought to sixty in a matter of seconds. Both Buffy and Spike let out a yell of complete shock and Spike's hand gripped her tight.

They roared down the open highway with Buffy's hair flapping wildly into his face. Spike grunted and rested his chin on her shoulder so he could see.

"Bloody Evil-Kanevil" He grumbled, then saw the glee in her eyes and smiled "You like the feel of wind in your hair, love?"

"Being a biker must be pretty damn cool" Buffy agreed "Freeing, too"

"Ideal for a Slayer on her last night on Earth"

Buffy said nothing to that but silently agreed with him. The wind whipped around them and underneath her thin jacket chilling her a little but instead of being a bad thing it invigorated her. Spike let go of her hand to let her steer. Buffy was worried for a moment and then his hands fixed around her waist.

"Let yourself go, Buffy"

The soft voice slid into her brain and she shifted back a little so that she nestled closer into the vampire. Spike's hands delved under her jacket and she could feel his cold skin through her shirt. Let go. A junction appeared before them. Left or right. _Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the road less travelled – and that made all the difference._

"Spike, what do I do?" She called.

"Follow your instinct, pet" He replied.

Buffy left it to the last second then yanked the handles to hard and sudden that they did a complete 360, tires squealing, bodies thrown to the side and nearly off the bike. It ground to a halt. The engine purred. They were facing the way they had just come.

"Bloody…" Spike murmured, arms squeezing her ribs tightly "I think _I'll_ be driving home"

"You told me to follow my instincts" Buffy protested.

"I didn't realise your instincts were homicidal"

Buffy shrugged, smiled "I _am_ the Slayer"

10:15PM

"You're such a square, Spike"

They were in Sunnydale Mall. They had the whole place all to themselves and Buffy was like a kid in a candy shop. She actually started skipping down the vacant halls and though it was, in a way, kind of spooky it was also radically cool in every single way. The whole of the mall was her oyster and she intended to enjoy herself. Spike, however was dragging behind mumbling about her breaking in to the mall.

"If I had come up with this idea you would have disapproved" Spike protested jogging to keep up with her "Not that I mind, but if the world if going to end tomorrow is there much point in stealing anything?"

"We're not going to steal…probably" Buffy frowned but then brightened again "We are going to borrow and frolic"

"Frolic?"

"Yep," She nodded "And here's our first stop"

Spike looked in front, his face displayed sheer horror at what she had chosen for them. Buffy believed he thought it to be an abstract form of punishment. Punishment of the capital kind. She started towards the shop and saw he was not moving. Buffy turned back to him and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him in. He ground his heels in but it did not work too well because the floor was shiny. From an observer it may have looked like a mother dragging in a difficult toddler. Luckily there were no observers.

"But…no…you can't make me!" He gaped "It's…its GAP!"

Buffy yanked him in so hard that he skidded on his shoes and almost fell "There. You didn't get struck down by lightning"

Spike shook his head and rubbed his head "It's against my principles"

Buffy started to go around the racks of clothes and picked up some men's stuff as she went throwing it to Spike who caught it with disdain. Buffy was picking some lovely outfits off the rack and glanced over the vampire who was looking at a mirror in front of him. He couldn't see himself, of course. Buffy thought that must be lonely. Also a drag when fixing your hair.

"Go get changed" Buffy shooed him with a motion of her hands.

Spike grumbled all the way to the changing rooms. She sat and waited for him because this was highly anticipated thing – Spike in different clothing. Sure, recently he had been varying things with a different shirt or two but she was kind of curious as to what he would look like if he dressed more "mainstream". She didn't want to change Spike; she just wanted to see a different side of him. Pretty soon it became obvious he wasn't coming out so she went in.

"Spike" She called as she entered the changing rooms.

"I'm not coming out"

Buffy located the cubicle he was in, with the curtain tightly shut. She leaned against the wall.

"Come on, Spike" She sing-songed.

"Piss off" He replied gruffly.

She sighed and ripped the curtain open. Spike stood there gaping at the fact that she had just done that. Buffy stood there gaping at Spike.

"Holy…" She muttered.

Spike yanked the curtain shut again. Buffy opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Then she took a deep breath and opened the curtain again but this time more slowly. Spike was leaning against the wall looking at her.

"I feel like an idiot" He told her.

"You look good," Buffy informed him, stepping into the cubicle "I mean different but good"

He was dressed in a ribbed cobalt blue sweater with beige pants. It was all…_good_.

"You only like it 'cos it makes me look like Captain Cardboard" Spike huffed, folding his arms over his chest "And do I get to see your lovely new ensemble?"

Buffy smiled a little "If you want"

She turned on her heel and out of the men's changing rooms to retrieve some of the outfits she had picked out from the store next door while she had been browsing. True, they weren't from Gap but they were great. Spike followed behind her pulling the sweater off and pulling his black T-shirt back on over it, he was also carrying his jeans.

She spun back to him "Either you keep the other outfit on or you go naked, mister!"

"Fine" Spike pulled off his T-shirt and then started for the pants.

"Okay, stop" Buffy put a hand up "Just…just wait here"

So, off she went to get changed. However Spike did not stay put he followed her into the changing rooms and stood outside of her cubicle just like she had done to him. _Men._ _No, vampires!_ She cursed as she shed her clothing trusting that Spike would not "accidentally" barge in. She was done relatively quickly and she let her hair down having tied it up.

Then Buffy stepped out with a flourish.

"What do you think?" She asked a half-naked Spike "Am I ready for my close-up?"

She smiled at the look on his face which was one of slack-jawed appreciation. She had picked out a pale blue dress that clung to the upper half of her body but gave plenty of floaty space on her bottom half. When she spun around in a circle for him the skirt billowed around her and then swished back into place. It had no sleeves, only spaghetti straps over the shoulder and it showed a little cleavage but not much. Buffy was barefoot and felt exceptionally short.

Spike coughed up some words "Gap has changed their lines, I see…"

"Oh, yeah, well" Buffy shrugged "I got bored waiting for Mr. Metro-sexual to hurry up"

"I am not metro-sexual!" Spike protested then his face softened "I like the dress. Very you"

Buffy walked up to him, looped her arms around his neck and she had to laugh at the surprised look on Spike's face.

"Don't you just love shopping with me?" She kept her arms around his neck and she bowed her spine backwards so that it looked sort of like a tango move, with her hair flowing down to the floor.

Spike placed his hands on her hips "A fella could get used to it"

Buffy righted herself so she stood straight again "We should have done this more"

"What, shop?" He grinned "And you're talking in past tense like we're already dead. And that's only true for me"

Buffy released her hold on him and walked back towards her cubicle "Not shop. Just spent time. You and me"

"The Scooby's would have disapproved"

Buffy entered the cubicle, turned to face him and she arched an eyebrow "So?"

She shut the curtain.

11PM

"So, my dream came true" Spike mumbled, wearily.

Buffy carried on strolling through the mall to the exit "What dream?"

"Last night I dreamt I was drowning in footwear" Spike told her, waving the many shopping bags filled with shoes at her "And now I am"

Buffy laughed.

**A/N: Reviews are welcome. And, you know, if you want to donate a little cash too…**


	4. On the Other Side

**A/N: This is the last chapter so savour it!**

11:15PM

One more thing to do before they went home. An important task. One Buffy had contemplated doing for a long while now. Being the Slayer meant growing up too fast. She regretted not having enough time to do the stupid teenage stuff.

So, here she was doing it now.

Buffy ran up to the steamed up car's passenger window. She crouched down covertly. Spike rounded the other side and crouched down next to the driver side window. Buffy looked at him under the car and he grinned and gave her the thumbs up.

She counted them down 3 – 2 – 1.

Buffy leaped up, pulled her pants down and squished her butt up against the window. On the other side of the car Spike did the same thing.

Muffled sounds of girlish screams erupted from inside.

Buffy burst out laughing pulled her pants back up and into the bushes, into the shadows. Spike followed shortly, leaping over the bush and rolling to the floor to keep out of site from the angry/scared couple who had gotten out and were looking around, dazed.

"Remind me again why we just did that?" Spike whispered keeping low to the ground.

"Because," Buffy kept looking through a gap in the bushes "It was funny. And also because these horndogs should have gotten out of town instead of making out at the Point"

"This place is called The Point?"

"Yes"

"Very phallic. I like it" Spike noticed the couple coming over in their direction "We'll have to make a break for it"

Buffy nodded, crouched "We'll circle around right"

"Got it"

The vampire and the Slayer jumped up quickly and crashed through the woods. The guy who had gotten out of the car yelled and made a weak attempt at chasing them. Buffy began to giggle hysterically as she jumped over roots and dodged branches. One time she pushed a branch back and it whipped into Spike's face causing him to fall to the ground cursing.

Buffy stopped, turned, grabbed him, pulled him up and kept running.

Soon they had run all through the woods and circled back to the Point clearing, both still laughing and giddy at their exploits. The car was gone and so too was the angry couple.

"Nice view" Spike mentioned.

Buffy turned and looked over the edge of the clearing, where the whole of Sunnydale could be seen. There were only a few dim lights because the electricity companies had cut off the power a while ago but it was still a great view. All the houses, the sky line, the stars, the fresh air. Buffy felt refreshed for the first time in a long time.

"It's pretty," She agreed.

"Yeah," Spike said softly.

She turned to see he was looking at her and not at the view at all.

Before she could even begin to fathom what she would say next they both turned at the sound of a car burning some serious rubber. Buffy turned just in time to see the car that belonged to the angry couple heading straight towards her.

Spike leapt and tackled her to the ground out of the way. They fell to the dirt both grunting. Buffy was up again in a second and the car was reversing back into them. She grabbed Spike's hand and pulled him up then ran to the nearest tree and began to climb the tree deftly. Spike followed, she could hear him scrabbling up the branches after her.

Once the Slayer had reached a suitably sturdy branch half the way up the large tree she shimmied along it and sat, perched. Moments later Spike joined her and they both looked down at the car. The guy had gotten out and was yelling obscenities at them.

"Piss off!" Spike yelled, flipping the guy the bird.

The vampire laughed as the man got even more worked up.

Buffy rolled her eyes "I'll give you a tip, buddy. Get outta town. Tonight. Take your girlfriend with you" She called down to the man.

He called her something not suitable for children's ears and then got back in the car and drove off into the night. This time not to return.

"Guess some blokes can't take a joke" Spike shrugged.

"You don't say" Buffy replied then after a moment a smile appeared on her face "I've just been nearly run over, had to climb up a tree and called names that would make Christina Aguilera blush and…and it's fun"

Spike looked at her, grinned "Well, yeah. It's uncontrolled. Spontaneous. That's what fun is all about. Getting a rush out of a situation"

"This year I've pretty much had to be in complete control" Buffy agreed then paused "But, having said that, last year I had pretty much no control at all and that led to…badness…"

He locked eyes with her "It's about balance"

"Right," She gave one swift nod "Balance is good"

"Like, I'm bloody worried I'm gonna over balance off this branch"

Buffy looked out over the clearing "The view looks even better from up here"

Out there was freedom. Something a Slayer could and would never have. Again, like many times in her life, Buffy envied normal people.

Spike spoke as if he read her mind "You'd miss the excitement. The rush. If you were out there just _existing_ like the rest of them. You might look like a typical Californian girl but you're not one"

"I'm the Slayer" She sighed.

"No," He leaned in, whispered in her ear "You're Buffy Summers"

She turned her face towards him and their lips were only inches apart. Buffy looked into his clear blue eyes and she knew how long Spike had lived. How much he had seen and experienced and yet…and yet he was still incredibly fragile and easy to break. He still wore his heart on his sleeve when the one hundred plus years he had been around should have taught him better.

And right now his heart was all just for her.

It was a big compliment to have someone completely devoted to you. Buffy couldn't help but wonder why she could acquire these amazing men who loved her, when she herself felt so unloving and unlovable.

Spike tittered suddenly, just a little under his breath.

Buffy blinked, her face turned curious "What?"

"Nothin'"

"Tell me" She implored, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"Just…just a little playground chanted entered my head is all," Spike looked down at the ground, smiled then turned and looked back at her "Spike and Buffy, sitting in a tree…"

Recognition sparked in her eyes and she joined in, with a beaming smile "K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

They both trailed off and looked at each other awkwardly.

Buffy took a breath "O-kay, us and singing do not match" She felt her cheeks flush.

"Oh, I don't know" Spike scratched his head "I think we did a brilliant duo when that musical demon came to town"

Buffy rolled her eyes and arched an eyebrow "You just liked the outcome of the song"

"True, true" Spike laughed.

After a moment Buffy let out a little laugh with him too.

"So, uh," Buffy swung her legs back and forth, looking down at the ground "I mean, this might be your last day…or night too…is there anything you want?"

She looked up into his eyes. He was looking back at her.

Buffy clenched her fist briefly before taking a courageous step and laying her hand on top of Spike's, which rested on the branch.

She felt him go tense. Then slowly he relaxed. He was now facing forward as if he thought that if he did not pay too much attention to it then she would not pull away.

Buffy squeezed his hand ""Does he love me I want to know? How can I tell if he loves me so?"

Spike turned to face her slowly, his face unsure and nervous. She gave him a soft smile. Spike smiled back. He leaned in to her, paused waiting to see if she would pull away. When she didn't he proceeded and laid a soft kiss on her lips.

Buffy moved her other hand up to the side of his face, laid it gently against his sculpted cheekbone as she deepened the kiss.

They kissed slowly as if the world wasn't about to end.

Finally Buffy pulled away, but only enough to regain her breath. She rested her forehead against Spike's and looked into his eyes, a content smile on her face.

"…it's in his kiss"

12:30AM

Buffy lay on the cot in the basement just looking out into the darkness. She felt Spike's lips press butterfly-soft against the back of her neck; his hand gently swept her hair back from her face.

She closed her eyes and slept.

7:00AM

Sunnydale High loomed in front of them. Buffy stood at point in front of her group of warriors. The end of the world was coming, but not if she could help it. She looked up at the school. She had blown this place up once and if it came down to it she would destroy it again. She'd destroy the whole town if she had to. Although she had no plan to do that.

What you planned for wasn't necessarily what you got, though.

The Slayer hefted the scythe and then instructed Robin to lead them inside the school considering it was his territory.

The Principal nodded and started forward with the band of girls following him like an army.

Buffy hung back with Faith, Dawn, Giles, Willow, Xander and Spike. Those she had known longest. Some of them friends…some of them more.

They all looked at each other as they entered the school building and Spike threw off his steaming blanket with relief.

Buffy nodded at each in turn and gave them a brief, devil-may-care smile.

They all nodded back and started off after the army.

Spike began to walk ahead too but Buffy grabbed his hand and he turned back, hesitant. She knew why. He was worried but not for himself, for her. He was worried that this was goodbye.

"We're gonna make it out of this, Spike" Buffy held onto his hand, so tight "I can just tell. We're both gonna make it out of here"

"Hope you're right, love" Spike, gave her a crooked cocksure grin but his eyes held deeper feelings.

"I am"

Buffy placed her hand over his heart, though she did not feel it beating. They locked eyes for an endless moment.

"See you on the other side"

Then they turned and walked into the mouth of hell side by side.

**END**

**A/N: Feedback would be nice!**


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